Spacious and powerful Grand Caravan still the best pick in shrinking minivan market

Originally published: March 17, 2014

SMALL

MEDIUM

LARGE

Overview Automotive equivalent of the Swiss Army knifePros Versatility, strong powertrain performance, road mannersCons No automatic headlights, optional package costsValue for money Good for the entry-level model; average for optioned-up derivativesWhat would I change? Automatic headlights; clean up the lengthy option list

When Lee Iacocca had his epiphany and decided the minivan was to become the modern station wagon the automotive world changed. The two-box design did everything the old “woodie” wagon could, but it also did so much more.

Now, at its launch the Dodge Caravan was, well, a little crude. Subsequent generations, however, have taken the basic format and morphed it into something that can be as basic or as luxurious as any potential owner could possibly want. What has not changed is the flexibility and versatility.

The minivan game-changer arrived in the form of Dodge’s Stow ’n Go seating. Aside from the fact there’s no need to haul heavy seats out of the van and find a place to store them until needed again, it is the seat comfort that defies logic. To fit into the under-floor wells, the seat’s components had to be downsized, which meant reducing the bulk of everything including the padding. The Grand Caravan’s seats proved to be surprisingly comfortable on a longer haul in spite of their size.

The 2014 Grand Caravan has Chrysler’s 3.6L Pentastar V6 under the hood. It delivers 283 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque.Graeme Fletcher, Driving

Beyond that, it’s the mix and match potential that truly impresses in Dodge’s new Grand Caravan — Dodge says there are 81 possible seating configurations. With all seats upright there are two large storage bins ahead of the middle row seats, a deep well behind the third row seat and 935 litres of storage space. Switching to the cargo mode is more than a one-handed affair, but it is painless. Stow the third row and the cargo capacity jumps to 2,359L; drop the middle seats, which does require moving the front seats fully forward, and the available space blossoms to 4,072L. The plus is found in the fact the wheel well intrusions are minimal, which means the storage area is nicely squared off. What goes unsaid is that when the need to go back to the passenger format arrives the seats are aboard and not sitting in the garage.

The rest of the cabin is equally well thought-out — soft touch materials, an attractive design and a smart layout. The tester included Dodge’s Uconnect system with navigation. This thing is, without question, the simplest and easiest to comprehend and master. My nine-year-old had it figured out in minutes. She would be lost trying to accomplish the same with BMW’s iDrive or Mercedes-Benz’s Comand system. Beyond that, the inclusion of audio control on the back of the steering wheel is a clever touch because it puts otherwise wasted space to good use. Finally, the back-up camera proved to be worth its cost, especially with the horde aboard — the rearward sightlines are tight at best, with four heads bobbing about in the back it became impossible.

The anomaly is the lack of automatic headlights. Today, this is a standard feature on many entry-level cars — the SXT Plus carried a price of $41,035, which is far from entry-level. Instead, an archaic and annoying chime dings the instant the ignition key is removed and the lights are kept on. I have not been so irked since the bad old days of the talking Dodges — it was insistent the door was ajar. A very large hammer was needed to fix that problem.

2014 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT PlusDriving,

In terms of its drive, the 2014 Grand Caravan is a very distant relative to the original — many owners of those early examples still have nightmares about the Mitsubishi four-cylinder and its horrendous reputation for eating timing chains, among other things. Today, it’s Chrysler’s 3.6L Pentastar V6 under the hood. It delivers 283 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, which is enough to bring a rewarding turn of speed even when the Caravan is loaded with people and/or cargo. The Grand ran from rest to 100 kilometres an hour in 8.4 seconds and it delivered an almost sporty sub-six second run in the 80 to 120 km/h passing test. Remarkably it did this while returning surprising fuel economy — a test average of 11.3 litres per 100 km, and this was with five passengers or considerable cargo weight aboard most of the time. The six-speed transmission helps enormously as the gear spacing matches the engine’s characteristics and it was willing to kickdown quickly, which explains the speedy passing move.

The Grand’s “touring” suspension was soft, which introduced some body roll and understeer, but given it has to cover such a broad range of conditions — from just the driver aboard to cushioning the contents of a small apartment — the comfort and overall driving dynamics makes it the crispest of the bunch. Besides, in this application comfort is more important than handling. Likewise, the vagueness that defines the steering feel in many minivans was just not there. No, you won’t think of it as sporty, but the turn-in was crisp and the on-centre feel was truly commendable.

The Dodge Grand Caravan remains the best of a shrinking crowd of minivans — it has ruled the roost for 30 years, which, perhaps, explains why so many other manufacturers are deserting the segment. It remains as flexible, versatile and comfortable as ever. It can also be equipped to suit just about any owner. But, therein lies its Achilles heel — the Grand Caravan can get expensive in a hurry. In this case, the SXT Plus with its Stow ’n Go started at $27,995, but carried an as-tested sticker price of $41,035 before destination and taxes.

The Dodge Grand Caravan features Stow ‘N Go seats, which easily fold into the floor to maximize interior space without having to physically take out the seats.Graeme Fletcher, Driving